What can I do with a politics degree?

You might be interested in a career in central or local government, the Civil Service or charity work after finishing your politics degree, but there are also plenty of other careers open to you, including law and business.

Politics students are typically up to speed with current affairs and interested in leadership and the ways in which ideas and principles are put into action – attitudes that can be useful in the workplace. They are typically enthusiastic about their subject, opinionated and hardworking, and used to arguing a case and presenting their views. Many politics graduates go on to further study, often in specialised areas of politics such as international relations and international human rights. Others pursue careers in areas such as business, HR and finance.

The kind of skills you will have developed include:

gathering information, assessing and interpreting it
leading and participating in discussions and groups
organising workloads and working to deadlines
developing opinions and ideas
essay writing, presentation and analytical skills
reading pages of text and picking out the essential points
stating a case
solving problems
assimilating facts
expressing yourself clearly (certainly in writing, and probably in person too)

Fresh out of university, there are plenty of options – public services, the Civil Service and local government, non-governmental organisation (NGO) work, and research.

Even with a minimum amount of training, many organisations are looking for enthusiastic graduates fresh from university. Potential career paths could include: